Schaumburg firefighters rescue woman from balcony
Firefighters rescued a woman from her second-story balcony Sunday after she became trapped by a blaze inside her upstairs unit at a Schaumburg townhouse complex.
She later was taken to Amita Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village to be examined for smoke inhalation, but was otherwise unharmed.
Schaumburg Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Anderson said firefighters responded at about noon to a report of heavy smoke coming from the second floor of the building in the 1000 block of Newport Harbor.
When firefighters arrived, they assisted the resident down a ladder before taking her to the hospital.
"She was conscious, but she was laying on the balcony," Anderson said.
The fire spread to an attic area of the complex, but not to the adjacent units because of a firewall, Anderson said. "The whole attic was on fire and the first floor. So the guys let out two lines and went in and knocked that fire out," he added.
The fire, he said, was extinguished 15 to 20 minutes after firefighters arrived at the scene. They remained on the scene removing materials from the damaged unit and looking for hidden flames.
"We're making sure there is nothing burning, so we don't get a rekindle," Anderson said.
The cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damages, is under investigation, he said.
Rick Drawant, who lives across the street on Summit Drive, said the woman could be heard calling for help.
"At first I just heard someone not really screaming, but yelling," he said. "I looked out my door and I heard, 'Somebody help me.'"
At the time, he said, a few people were trying to enter the unit as smoke poured from the building. He said he ran back to his home to get a ladder.
"By the time we got over there, there was so much smoke coming out her window, out of the roof on both sides, not just a little bit," Drawant said. "It was pouring black. Her windows (had a) black soot buildup.
"When I put the ladder up, (another neighbor) climbed up and just kind of put his hand on her and told her the fire department's coming," he added. "She was OK. She was just a little shaken up."